1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates, in general, to watt hour meter and watt hour meter sockets and, more specifically, to covers for closing the opening in a meter socket when the watt hour meter is removed from the socket.
2. State of the Art:
Covers or closing plates are employed by electric utility companies to close the opening in a meter socket housing when a watt hour meter is not mounted in the socket. Such covers prevent individuals from coming into contact with the live terminals in the meter socket as well as to prevent unauthorized connection to the socket terminals to obtain undeterred electric power.
Covers or closing plates are conventionally formed of a non-conductive material and have a plurality of blades extending from one side which are removably engageable with the jaw terminals in the meter socket to mount the cover in the meter socket. Such covers or closing plates were formed of glass which has sufficient rigidity to resist deflection at the peripheral edges of the cover but is subject to breakage when struck by an object. The use of stronger plastics, such as polycarbonate, to form such covers eliminates the breakage problem, but results in the covers being deflectable to a small amount, particularly at the peripheral edge of the cover.
Ribs have been mounted on such covers between the base of the cover and opposed sides of each blade to support the blades and prevent sideways movement of the blades with respect to the cover. However, such ribs are short in height so as to be spaced from the jaw terminals in the meter socket when the cover is mounted in the meter socket.
Additional ribs have been mounted on such covers extending inward a short distance from the peripheral edge of the covers and oriented parallel and/or perpendicular to the width of the blades (i.e., along the plane of the blades in the direction of insertion of the blades into the jaw terminals in the meter socket). While such additional ribs increase the deflection resistance of such covers, the covers can still be urged inward a small amount thereby allowing access to the interior of the meter socket. Such movement or deflection is greatest at the top and bottom peripheral edges of the cover parallel to the width of the blades when the cover is mounted in a meter socket. Such edges can be moved inward a sufficient amount to enable wires to be inserted past the cover into the meter socket.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a cover for a meter socket which overcomes such problems existing with previously devised meter socket covers. It would also be desirable to provide a cover for a meter socket which is designed to inhibit inward movement or deflection of the cover with respect to the meter socket when the cover is mounted in the meter socket. Finally, it would be desirable to provide a cover for a meter socket having the above-described features which is inexpensively constructed.